NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 4, 2019) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is performing structure surveys in the spring and summer of 2019 to identify homes and businesses in Bell County, Kentucky that are vulnerable to a recurrence of the destructive April 1977 flood, the most severe flood in the region in the last 62 years.
Surveys include photographs and elevation shots of structures along portions of the Cumberland River, Left Creek, Straight Creek, and Yellow Creek. Surveyors are not going onto private properties, unless permitted by landowners. All surveyors are clearly recognizable by Corps of Engineers safety vests, and can provide identification upon request.
These surveys are part of the Corps’ development of the Bell County Flood Damage Reduction Study, as authorized by Section 202 of the Energy and Water Development Act of 1981 (PL 96-367). This study is an investigation of alternatives to reduce flooding damages to structures along impacted portions of the Cumberland River and its tributaries.
Once completed, the study is going to list structures located in the floodplain that would receive significant structural or content damages by a recurrence of the April 1977 flood levels. Residents of structures eligible for protection would have the opportunity to be assisted with either flood proofing of structures or evacuation of properties to support demolition and removal of flood prone structures. The local sponsor, Bell County, is maintaining ownership of all acquired properties.
All structure acquisition and flood proofing is voluntary. The timeline to acquire or flood proof these structures is dependent on federal, state, and local funding.
News and information is available on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps, and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.
Release no. 19-026